The present invention relates to devices for clamping the edge of a table and more particularly to a clamping device for use with medical diagnostic tables.
During the course of a medical examination it is generally necessary to mount one or more accessory devices to the diagnostic table, such as poles for holding intravenous fluids, devices for controlling or monitoring the respiratory or other vital bodily functions of the patient, devices for supporting the patient, and many other devices necessary or desirable for assisting the patient or physician simultaneously during the course of the examination.
Diagnostic tables typically include a specially shaped edge to achieve a secure mating with a specially-configured clamp. Such accommodative shaping of the edge of the diagnostic table top is difficult and expensive to produce and may interfere with the output of a given diagnostic machine. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, if a prior art table top having an edge E with a skin thickness T is employed during an X-ray analysis in which X-ray photons A, B, C are projected at and pass through the patient (not shown) lying on the table, the effective skin thickness through which each of photons A, B, and C must penetrate varies greatly and may thus have a greatly varying effect on the degree to which photons A, B, and C are absorbed. Such a variation in absorption by the edge of the table can distort the shadow image of photons which pass through the patient being examined.
It is an object of this invention to provide a clamping device for diagnostic tables which obviates the necessity for specially-shaped table edges and eliminates the attendant excessive costs and problems associated with having to construct specially shaped table top edges and clamping structures therefor.